By Angela Koenig
Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
~ John 8:12
As a child, my dad greeted me the same way every morning, “There she is!” he would always say when he first saw me. Every morning, half-asleep, I would hear these words. Even when I went off to college and came home to visit, I could always expect this daily salutation.
I always thought it was such an odd way to say good morning, but one day my Father in Heaven revealed something to me through my earthly father’s words. Every night, I left my dad and went to sleep, but every morning, he awaited my arrival and was now content that I was present again.
I’ve Been Waiting for You
The same is true for God our Father. How often we leave Him to enter into the darkness alone, yet He is always waiting for us to wake up and see again. When we do, He is overjoyed and cries out, “There she is, my beloved, you’ve come home, I’ve been waiting for you.”
St. Joseph, Pray for Us
In a world that seems full of darkness, God has given us biological and spiritual fathers to remind us of His light and His constant tenderness and loving care for us. In the same way, God the Father entrusted His only begotten Son to St. Joseph, while on earth, He has entrusted all of us to St. Joseph as our spiritual father. May we look to St. Joseph to guide and protect us through our journey in this life as we strive for Heaven. I picture him eagerly anticipating our arrival, where he will look at us with the pride of a loving father and say, “There she is!”
Prayer
God our Father, thank you for giving us St. Joseph as a model of quiet strength and surrender to your holy Will. St. Joseph, lover or purity and protector of families, intercede for us today and always.
Call to Action
Consider getting to know your spiritual father on a deeper level by inviting him into your daily life. A beautiful way to do this is to include a special prayer, such as the Litany to St. Joseph, as part of your daily prayer routine. In this Year of St. Joseph, may he usher in the healing peace and joy of his son, Jesus Christ.
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A perfect wake up this morning. Thank you
Thank you Jan!
Love, Love, Love this! Thank you so much. This is such a beautiful and powerful message, and though it is neatly wrapped up into a 2-minute read, it will stay with me all day.
I will be thinking of St. Joseph saying “There she is” as I go about my every task today—as I log into a Zoom meeting, or take that call from the newspaper, or meet with the team from Iowa, or get my grocery shopping done, or make dinner, or join the women of WINE on the “10 Promises” Lenten webinar, or finally settle down and once again open my Bible. I love the concept that St. Joseph is there in each task, tenderly reminding me that God is with me. What a great reminder that I need to rejoice in doing what I do for His glory—even the smallest of tasks.
Thank you Kelly; I love your examples of how you are hearing St. Joe looking out for you today!!
Powerful visual. This touched my heart, esp. as a former Daddy’s Girl … oh, wait, I still am 😉
Thank you Allison, (and me too!)
Thank you for the beautiful and moving article. My Dad was the father to 7 girls in a row. He was a carpenter and his middle name was Joseph so this held special meaning to me. What better way is there to compare how our Heavenly Father seeks our company and our love at the beginning of each day.